The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-06-15
FLOURIsHING FLORIDA.
An Imported Cracker" Tells How
Things are Jumping ON Tampa Bay.

An Imported Cracker" Tells How
Things are Jumping ON Tampa Bay.
New York Herald.
OF medium height, neither stout nor
thin, with thick mustache and pierre
ing black eycs-such II j. T.. Ingrahanl,
President of the South Florida Railway.
MIR. lngraham is young man, prob
ably not more than thrty-fiye or there
abouts. He was born in Milwaukee, but
has lived in Florida for the last fifteen
years. "As il only takes ten years resi-
dence 10 make a cracker, he remarked
yesterday, "why ! suppose | have
right to that title"
sEVENFoLD IN FIVE YEARS.
MY home, he added, lis in Tampa.
There has been "A great increase In popu-
lation all through our section. Last
March our people had the statistics Of the
four counties-Orange. Polk, Hillsbor-
ough and Hernando-carefully made up.
The result showed that the population
had increased in five years from fifteen
thousand Ia forty-six thousand. The as
ssessed valuation Of property January ],
1880 was 81 900 900. On January 1, 1885,
il had increased Ia $l4, 300, 900.
THE distance from Tampa TO Havana
is $50 miles. Our steamers usually make
the run in twenty-five hours. The ser
vice was tri-weekly till May last. Now
the steamers run twice "A week. Our
vessels draw fourteen and n half feet OF
water, but when we shall have finished
our extension from Tampa 10 Black
| Point, ON the old Tampa Bay, and the
oyster bar there has been dredged out,
much larger vessels will be able 10 find
shelter there, as there will be depth OF
water in the new harbor of fully twenty
four feet.
''Our line runs from Tampa 10 San
| ford, thence over the jacksonville,
Tampa and Key West to Jacksonville,
further over the Savannah, Florida and
Western To Savannah and Charleston,
making its final connection at Pontico
with the Pennsylvania Railroad. The
run from Tampa to New York takes
| forty hours. Five years ago IL took five
| full days. The distance is ,3l5 miles.
TRAVELLERS NOT SCARED BY EARTH
QUAIIEs.
The volume of travel IL about the
same this year as last. IL has not been
affected by the Charleston earthquake,
as was reported. The travel to Florida
| from the West has fallen Oft about
| TWENTY-FIVE per cent. The travel from
| the Eastern States has increased in about
| the same proportion. The extra induce
ments held out by the lines running to
| California carried Oft some Of the West
efn custom, but for the Eastern tourist
| ceiieHce.
THE frost of two years ago killed the
orange crop, but the trees survived and
| produce as much as ever.
"As for the Spanish speaking popula-
ton, il has almost disappeared. or
few Minorcans at st. Augustine, the
majority work at cigar making"
NO" quickly said Mr.. Ingraham, In
answer 10 question. Not cent Of
foreign capital have went 10 build our
road. The needful' all came from New
Yook and Boston.
A YANKEE GIBRALTAR.
II do not know how the Panama
Canal, when completed, may Affect
trade Ia our section. but ] think II
likely that our Government may then
build a:railway forty miles long over the
Keys to Key West. and then strongly
fortify that point. With our present
railway facilities "A large body Of troops
could be gotten together there in a very
short time. The Government would
have to build the road itself, as IL would
not nav any corDoratiOn 20 do IT,